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Marc Guggenheim Talks 'The Flash' Movie & Desire For Cameos

Veteran TV and comic book writer Marc Guggenheim has a big task to take on as screenwriter on The Flash movie for DC Entertainment. To no surprise, The Flash is the next main DC character to get their own solo film after Green Lantern debuts next summer and after we get to see a new Superman and the return of Batman in 2012.

While under (very) strict rule to not reveal details about the project, Guggenheim recently was interviewed about his work on The Flash where he does talk about what he would like to do with the film and it's place in the DC movie universe.

Guggenheim sat down with the folks at Newsarama and was able to answer a few questions about the direction he and the other writers (Greg Berlanti and Michael Green) are taking the film.

The point was raised to Marc that the idea of The Flash movie is being compared to the television series CSI, but for superheroes.

"We're being true to the whole Barry Allen science police... We're being true to those origins and updating them for the 21st century. I feel like in many ways the movie is three movies in one. It's part thriller, that forensic, cool, Seven, Silence of the Lambs; Part superhero movie and part sports movie because there's an athleticism to this character that other superheroes don't have... And you get to see how all three of those elements inform each other and make the whole movie even better. It's sort of like the way in Green Lantern we took a superhero movie and combined it with a space opera, here we're combining the superhero movie with these other two genres and it's just a blast."

Is there a run of The Flash comics for which the film will be basing upon?

"We're drawing I think a lot from a lot of different eras... Certainly Geoff Johns' work has been an influence. Mark Waid's run, particularly the stuff he wrote with the philosophy of speed and the philosophy of running has been a big influence. We've also tried to take our inspiration from the old Silver Age Barry Allen stories and imbue it with that sense of fun and wonder while still keeping that cool, slightly darker tone."

As for the question everyone is wondering: what about cameos and cross-overs with the other DC films?

"I would say in terms of the collaboration between me, Greg and Michael, I'm the one who always going like, 'we can do this cameo, we can do this little Easter egg' and I'm a huge proponent of it. I'm a big believer in it. Obviously there's a lot of those types of decisions get made way above my pay grade but I'm certainly always scheming. And with The Flash I have very particular ideas as to how I would accomplish it [laughs]... all sorts of other people need to weigh in on that sort of thing before it becomes a reality. I am on record saying I love it when movies do that. I'm a total sucker for that."

Fans and moviegoers alike will undoubtedly be excited for the potential of seeing other characters like Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan make an appearance as well. While no one wants to see any of the solo character films from DCE and Warner Bros. suffer from forcefully crossing over with each other, cameo appearances will certainly help market all of the DC superhero films and will help set the foundation for the the eventual Justice League movie, should we ever see that come to fruition years down the line.

For now, the script for The Flash is still being worked on and is due in this holiday season along with the screenplay for Green Lantern 2. Both films will likely see release dates set in 2013.

Current rumors for casting the lead point toward Bradley Cooper (The Hangover, The A-Team) although he denies it. Other rumors through the grapevine hint at Chris Pine as a sought-after lead.